A project to help homeless teens in Webster County has ties to the classic holiday movie, It’s a Wonderful Life.
In the movie, Zuzu Bailey declares, “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.” When Nicholas Inman and his church, the Elkland Independent Methodist Church, came up with the idea for a home where homeless teens could live and learn valuable life skills, he decided to reach out to Karolyn Grimes who played Zuzu in the film. He asked if he could name the project Zuzu’s House and if she would be the honorary chairperson. Grimes, who lived in Missouri for much of her life and who makes an annual visit to the Marshfield Cherry Blossom Festival, said yes. Grimes lost her parents at a young age, so Inman knew she could relate with the people they want to help.
"She can certainly identify with what a lot of these teenagers have gone through, and she herself had a teenager who lost their life to suicide and had a real heart for the teenagers in this situation," he said.
Since then, Zuzu’s House, which began as a ministry of Inman’s church, has grown to become an independent entity. Inman is president of its board of directors.
An effort to raise money for a permanent shelter in Marshfield for homeless teens began at the last Cherry Blossom Festival with the auctioning off of items from It’s a Wonderful Life as well as an original script from the film donated by Grimes and signed by the surviving cast members.
And another cast member from the movie is now involved. Jeannine Roose, who played Violet Vick is on the board of directors and who’s a clinical psychologist in Los Angeles, joins their meeting each month by phone. Roose also attends the Cherry Blossom Festival each year.
"And during her visit this past April, she met with the counselors in our community to begin formulating a counseling plan for the house," he said.
Inman said they only need to raise about $28,000 to reach their goal. A fundraiser currently underway allows people to buy paper silver bells, to put their name on them and post them at local businesses.
He hopes they’ll have the house purchased, and have Zuzu’s House up and running by the Cherry Blossom Festival in 2019 so Grimes and Roose can participate in a dedication for the facility.
